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1969–70 ABA season

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1969–70 ABA season
LeagueAmerican Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationOctober 17, 1969 – May 25, 1970
Games84
Teams11
Regular season
Top seedIndiana Pacers
Season MVPSpencer Haywood (Denver)
Top scorerSpencer Haywood (Denver)
Playoffs
Eastern championsIndiana Pacers
  Eastern runners-upKentucky Colonels
Western championsLos Angeles Stars
  Western runners-upDenver Rockets
Finals
ChampionsIndiana Pacers
  Runners-upLos Angeles Stars
ABA seasons

The 1969–70 ABA season was the third season of the American Basketball Association. Prior to the start of the season, the Minnesota Pipers moved back to Pittsburgh, the Oakland Oaks moved to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Caps and the Houston Mavericks moved to North Carolina and became the Carolina Cougars. For the regular-season, the schedule was increased from 78 to 84 games per team. The season ended with the Indiana Pacers capturing their first ABA Championship.

By April of 1970, rumblings of a merger were reported in the press, with one reported offer having the league pay $11 million in indemnities while agreeing to move the Washington franchise out of its location. The NBA Players Association was felt to be an obstacle for any plans of a merger, as they had voted to strike in the event of such a merger. As it turned out, the merger would not occur until many years later with only a fraction of the ABA's teams making it in the final merger.[1]

Spencer Haywood, a rookie from the University of Detroit, led the ABA in scoring (30.0 ppg) and rebounding (19.5 rpg) for the Denver Rockets. Haywood was professional basketball's first "hardship case", leaving college after his sophomore season. The NBA prohibited him from declaring for its draft, and he signed with the Rockets instead, leading them to the Western Division championship.

Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1968–69 coach 1969–70 coach
Carolina Cougars Jim Weaver Bones McKinney
Denver Rockets Bob Bass John McLendon
New York Nets Max Zaslofsky York Larese
Pittsburgh Pipers Gus Young John Clark
Washington Caps Alex Hannum Al Bianchi
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Dallas Chaparrals Cliff Hagan Max Williams
Denver Rockets John McLendon Joe Belmont
Miami Floridians Jim Pollard Harold Blitman
Pittsburgh Pipers John Clark Buddy Jeannette

Teams

[edit]
1969–70 American Basketball Association
DivisionTeamCityArenaCapacity
Eastern Carolina Cougars Greensboro, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina		 Greensboro Coliseum
Charlotte Coliseum
Dorton Arena		 15,000
9,605
7,610
Indiana Pacers Indianapolis, Indiana Indiana State Fair Coliseum 10,000
Kentucky Colonels Louisville, Kentucky Louisville Convention Center 6,000
Miami Floridians Miami, Florida Dinner Key Auditorium
Miami-Dade Junior College North Gym		 6,900
N/A
New York Nets West Hempstead, New York Island Garden 5,200
Pittsburgh Pipers Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Civic Arena 12,580
Western Dallas Chaparrals University Park, Texas
Dallas, Texas		 Moody Coliseum
Dallas Memorial Auditorium		 8,998
9,815
Denver Rockets Denver, Colorado Denver Auditorium Arena 6,841
Los Angeles Stars Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Sports Arena 14,795
New Orleans Buccaneers New Orleans, Louisiana Loyola Field House 6,500
Washington Caps Washington, D.C. Washington Coliseum 7,000

Map of teams

[edit]
Eastern Division Western Division

Final standings

[edit]

Eastern Division

[edit]
TeamWLPCT.GB
Indiana Pacers *5925.702—
Kentucky Colonels *4539.53614.0
Carolina Cougars *4242.50017.0
New York Nets *3945.46420.0
Pittsburgh Pipers2955.34530.0
Miami Floridians2361.27436.0

Western Division

[edit]
TeamWLPCT.GB
Denver Rockets *5133.607—
Dallas Chaparrals *4539.5366.0
Washington Caps *4440.5247.0
Los Angeles Stars *4341.5128.0
New Orleans Buccaneers4242.5009.0

Asterisk (*) denotes playoff team

Bold – ABA champions

Regular season

[edit]

On April 10, 1970, the Indiana Pacers would score a league record-high 177 points in a 177–135 win over the Pittsburgh Pipers at home.[2] As of 2025, it remains the highest-scoring effort the Pacers have ever had either in the ABA or the NBA (with their most recent highest-scoring game in the NBA occurring on March 27, 2025, with a 162–109 blowout win over the Washington Wizards[3]). On April 28, 1970, Spencer Haywood was named ABA MVP.[4]

Playoffs

[edit]

Awards and honors

[edit]
Spencer Haywood (Denver) was named ABA MVP and ROTY
Mel Daniels (right) was named All-ABA First Team

Finals

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Goldaper, Sam (April 12, 1970). "A.B.A. AND N.B.A. NEARING MERGER". The New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Pittsburgh Pipers at Indiana Pacers Box Score, April 12, 1970". Sports Reference. Retrieved October 19, 2026.
  3. ↑ Trister, Noah (March 27, 2025). "Pacers Rout Wizards 162–109 for Most Points in NBA Franchise History and Most Allowed by Washington". National Basketball Association. Associated Press. Retrieved October 19, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Spencer Haywood Wins MVP Award". Greeley Daily Tribune. Associated Press. April 28, 1970. Retrieved April 9, 2025.

Season summary on Basketball Reference

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